Google Maps Now Has an Immersive View and Two New Features

JAKARTA - Google added three new features to its Maps application that make it easier for users to navigate and plan their trips. One of them, Immersive Display based on Artificial Intelligence (AI).

The feature, launched earlier this year at Google I/O 2023, leverages the company's AI, dubbed neural beam field, or NeRF, to stitch together billions of images and create a multidimensional view of the world with layers of trusted information on top.

For example, when users want to go to Boston, United States of America (US) and want to see the historic Faneuil Hall, they can start looking at the area before visiting on Google Maps.

Users just click on the first video that appears. With a time slider, they can see what the weather is like at different times of the day.

Others, users can also peek into restaurants and cafes to help decide to make a reservation. All of these features can be used on Android and iOS, as quoted from the Google blog, Thursday, June 15.

Starting today, Immersive Views is available in four new cities, namely Amsterdam, Dublin, Florence and Venice and is expanding to more than 500 iconic buildings around the world, from Prague Castle to the Sydney Harbor Bridge.

Google Maps also displays and launches directions that can be seen at a glance in the app, helping users to easily track travel progress right from the lock screen or route overview.

Simply ask for directions to your destination and off you go. Later, users will see an updated ETA and where to make their next turn, information that was previously only available in comprehensive navigation mode.

If the user decides to take another route, Google Maps will update the trip automatically. This feature will begin rolling out globally for walking, cycling, and driving mode on Android and iOS.

Finally, Google is also bringing updates to the Recents tab on desktop, a shortcut that automatically organizes points of interest in Maps and highlights on the side of the app screen.

The tech giant will immediately save places in Recent Highlights even after users close Google Maps, and add tools for deleting places users have viewed, creating custom routes between destinations, and sharing place choices with others.